One of the top performers for the Revs in 2015, De La Cruz batted .275 in 269 at-bats last season, smashing seven doubles and five home runs while driving in 31 runs. De La Cruz got off to a scorching start, batting .338 through May, and also finished strong, hitting .319 over his final 24 games. His highlights included a May 5 War of the Roses matchup in Lancaster in which he went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a three-run round-tripper, as well as a 4-for-4 game at Southern Maryland on August 19, part of a stretch that saw him tally multiple hits five times in six games.
De La Cruz, 26, also contributed as a rock-solid backstop, catching over 620 innings with a fielding percentage of .989. He threw out 25 percent of attempted base stealers on the season. For his efforts both behind and at the dish, De La Cruz earned a nod for the Atlantic League All-Star Game, representing the victorious Freedom Division in Bridgeport.
Originally signed by St. Louis as a 17-year-old in 2006, De La Cruz reached as high as Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals organization. The Dominican national spent seven seasons in the St. Louis system before briefly signing with the Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League in 2013. De La Cruz signed with the Atlanta Braves organization later that season, playing 24 games for the Advanced-A Lynchburg Hillcats. He spent a couple seasons in the Dominican Winter League before signing with Mason and the Revs last year.
